Oh, so Bryce wanted to tease him. Jesse could handle that. He hooked his finger into Bryce’s waistband and pulled just enough to put some tension on the fabric. “I think I know my southern geography fine.”
“Do you now?”
“Haven’t had a complaint so far.” Jesse smirked. “Though I’m always willing to learn something new.”
Bryce smiled more as he took a sip of his whiskey. A stall tactic, Jesse was sure of it. Jesse had thrown him, and the prospect he was turning Bryce on in the middle of a crowd turned him on.
As Bryce finished his sip, one of the other patrons knocked into his back. He pitched forward, and Jesse grabbed onto him to steady his balance. His glass of whiskey tipped. The world went into slow motion as Jesse noticed the glass, and then realized where the whiskey was heading. For the second time in a day, liquid splashed down his front. His sweater wicked the liquor up.
“Damn it,” Bryce said.
“Not your fault.” Jesse tried to brush the whiskey off with his hand, but that was only getting his hand wet. “I need something to wipe it off.”
Bryce glanced around, then ducked back to the bar and took a napkin-wrapped set of silverware off the counter. He dumped the silverware and brought Jesse the cloth napkin.
Even as Jesse tried to clean his sweater, he knew he wouldn’t get the smell out. He didn’t have a shirt on under his sweater, so he couldn’t strip down. At least, not in the restaurant.
A couple shuffled past him as their name was called. They had been a group or two ahead of Jesse, but the tables were still being called slowly. At the current rate, there was a chance the whiskey would dry before they were seated.
“Do you want to head out?” Bryce asked.
The answer was yes. Between the crowd and the alcohol soaking into him, Jesse needed fresh air and a comfortable space to unwind. He didn’t want to break off the date, not when Bryce was the one good part of his evening.
“My place isn’t far,” Jesse said. “We could head there. Order takeout or something.”
Someone knocked into Jesse’s back and he rocked forward, automatically sliding his arm around Bryce. They were chest to chest, and an electric line ran through Jesse straight toward his groin. Pressing against Bryce felt so good, Jesse almost forgot they were in a crowded room of strangers.
Bryce’s eyes darkened with lust and his gaze was latched onto Jesse’s lips. “Or something.”
Yeah, home was sounding like amuchbetter place to be.
Jesse sought out a spot to abandon his beer bottle. Unfortunately, he had to snake his way through to the bar. Bryce polished off the remainder of his whiskey and handed his empty glass to Jesse. On their way out the door, Jesse let the hostess know they were leaving. She made note of it between accepting a bunch of menus from a waiter and listening to a patron complain about the wait.
After sucking down the same congested air for half an hour, even the clammy city air felt better. Jesse drank in a deep breath.
“Not one for crowds?” Bryce asked. “Manhattan must have been hell.”
“Subways were. It’s the confinement more than the crowd,” Jesse replied. “Did you drive?”
“Took an Uber. You?”
“No. My place is only four blocks.”
Bryce motioned down the street. “Lead the way.”
Jesse headed toward his apartment, and Bryce fell into step beside him. Their hands bumped against each other. The slight brush of skin teased Jesse. Brief motion, warmth. After the second bump, Jesse turned his hand so his palm would touch Bryce’s on the next accidental touch. When their hands met, he lightly clasped Bryce’s.
Bryce raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t pull away. So, he was out, and comfortable with that. Or at least he wasn’t frightened of being seen on a practically empty street in the dark. A band of tension released its grip on Jesse’s lungs.
“Why move out this way?” Bryce asked.
“It’s going to sound crazy,” Jesse replied.
Bryce chuckled, a sound coming up from deep in his chest. “Sounding crazy is what my job excels at. I’m sure you can’t top it.”
“Oh, I’m great at topping.”
That won Jesse a loud laugh. A merry twinkle brightened Bryce’s eyes as he said, “Yeah. We might see about that. But I don’t know many people who would move from Manhattan to St. Louis.”
